Signs of a Heart Attack

The combination of symptoms differs from person to person, but can
include:

• discomfort or pressure in the chest• pain in the jaw, left arm
or back• shortness of breath• sweatiness

What happens during a heart attack?

Everyone has some fatty buildup called plaque in their arteries. During a
heart attack, this fatty build up blocks the artery, which causes the
wall of the artery to break open. This causes a blood clot to form,
which stops the blood flow through the heart, causing a heart attack.

Is there any way to minimize the amount of damage to the heart during a heart attack?

In a heart attack in which an artery is abruptly and completely blocked,
time is of the essence. The faster the artery can be opened, the less
damage to the heart will occur. At St. Francis, our goal is to have the
patient in the Cath Lab in 60 minutes or less from the time he or she
enters the ER in order to protect as much heart muscle as possible.
Besides care in the hospital, you should know the signs of a heart
attack and always come to the hospital if you suspect youre having a
heart attack. Even if you end up not having a heart problem, it is
always better to come and get checked out.

Female Heart Attack Symptoms

As opposed to men, many women never experience chest pain. Instead, a
woman may feel:

• discomfort in her jaw, back or neck rather than chest• shortness or breath• nausea or
vomiting

Since the symptoms are more vague, women
tend to delay seeking treatment.

Are womens hearts really that different from mens hearts?

They certainly can be. For years, almost all heart research was
performed on men, assuming that 'a heart is a heart.' Only in the last
decade has specific research on womens hearts begun in earnest. We do
know that women are more likely to die from a heart attack or stroke
than men are. Part of the reason is that women tend to put off seeing
the doctor because they ignore their symptoms or attribute them to
something else, like indigestion. Another reason is that the symptoms of
a womans heart attack can be very different than the symptoms a man
experiences.

What is particularly surprising about women and heart disease?

One thing that is surprising is that the risk of dying of heart disease is actually increasing
in women age 35-44. Those who are especially at risk are those who
smoke, have diabetes, high blood pressure, are obese, have a sedentary
lifestyle, and/or a family history of heart disease. Young women who are
on birth control are at an increased risk of heart disease. Young women
who are on birth control and smoke are at an even higher risk of heart attack, stroke and blood clots in the lungs and legs.

Trey's Story

At 32 years old, Trey woke up thinking he had just slept on his arm
wrong. When he told his wife about his symptoms, she thought he was
having a heart attack and rushed him to St. Francis. She made the right
choice. We have the first Cath Lab in the U.S. accredited for
Cardiovascular Excellence. Because we treat heart attacks 3x faster than
national average, Trey did not suffer any heart damage. Learn more
about his remarkable story by clicking the image below:

Find a Cardiologist

Upstate Cardiology is a member of the Bon Secours Medical Group, with 18 board-certified cardiologists, including two who specialize in electrophysiology.